2-18
Parking at Night
Park in a lighted spot, close all windows and lock your
vehicle. Remember to keep your valuables out of sight.
Put them in a storage area, or take them with you.
Parking Lots
Even if you park in a lot where someone will be
watching your vehicle, it's still best to lock it up and
take your keys. But what if you have to leave your
ignition key?
If possible, park in a busy, well
-lit area.
Put your valuables in a storage area, like your trunk
or glove box.
Be sure to close and lock the storage area.
Close all windows.
Move the valet lockout switch to ON.
Lock the glove box.
Leave only the valet key.
Take all other keys and the remote keyless entry
transmitter with you.
Theft-Deterrent System
The SECURITY light is
located on the instrument
panel cluster.
If the ignition is off and any door is open, the SECURITY
light will flash, reminding you to arm the system.
To arm the system, do the following:
1. Open the door.
2. Lock the door using the power door lock switch with
the door open or the remote keyless entry transmitter.
The SECURITY light should come on and stay on.
3. Close all the doors. The SECURITY light should go
off within approximately 30 seconds.
If a door or a trunk is opened without a key or a remote
keyless entry transmitter, the horn will sound and the
lamps will flash for about 30 seconds.
2-32
Performance Shifting (DTS Only)
When your vehicle detects a change in driving
conditions, it will automatically initiate the appropriate
performance shift mode. When this occurs, the gear
display on the instrument panel cluster will change to
indicate that the transaxle has shifted to a different gear.
For example, the gear display on the cluster may
indicate 3 or 2 even though the gearshift is still in
AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (). Once the
performance shift mode ends, the gear display on the
instrument panel cluster will return to normal.
Shift Lock Release
This vehicle is equipped with an electric shift lock
release system. The shift lock release is designed to
do the following:
Prevent the ignition key from being removed unless
the shift lever is in PARK (P), and
prevent movement of the console shift lever
(DTS only) out of PARK (P) unless the ignition is
in a position other than OFF. The shift lock release is
always functional except in the case of a dead battery
or low voltage (less than 9 V) battery.If your vehicle has a dead battery or a battery with low
voltage, there is a procedure that will allow you to
override the shift lock release.
The following procedure allows the ignition to be turned
to OFF and for ignition key removal in case of a dead
battery or low voltage battery.
1. Verify that the shift lever is in PARK (P).
2. Locate the override
access slot underneath
the steering column
below the lock cylinder.
3. Remove the override access slot cap.
4. Insert a tool into the access slot, press in and hold.
5. Turn the ignition key to OFF.
6. Remove the tool from the slot.
7. Remove the key from the ignition.
8. Reinstall the override access slot cap.
2-34
Parking Brake
The parking brake pedal is
located to the left of the
regular brake pedal, near
the driver's door.
To set the parking brake, hold the regular brake pedal
down with your right foot and push the parking brake
pedal down with your left foot.
If the ignition is on, the BRAKE indicator light on the
instrument panel cluster should come on. If it doesn't,
you need to have your vehicle serviced.When you move out of PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N)
and the engine is running, the parking brake should
release. If the parking brake has not been fully released
and you try to drive off with the parking brake on, the
BRAKE indicator light will come on and stay on and a
multiple chime will sound.
If the parking brake doesn't fully release, you can
manually release the pedal. However, be sure to read the
following paragraphs:
CAUTION:
Always shift to PARK (P) before pulling the
manual release lever. If your hand or arm is in
the way of the pedal you could be hurt. The pedal
springs back quickly. Keep your hand and arm
away when you use the manual release lever.
Before releasing the manual parking brake, be sure to put
the vehicle in PARK (P) and turn the ignition to OFF.
2-43
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
The lever on the left side of the steering column
includes the following:
Turn and Lane
-Change Signals
Headlamp High/Low
-Beam Changer
Flash
-To-Pass Feature
Windshield Wipers
Windshield Washer
For more information on the exterior lamps, see
ªExterior Lampsº later in this section.
Turn and Lane-Change Signals
To signal a turn, move the lever all the way up or down.
The lever returns automatically when the turn is complete.
An arrow on the instrument
panel cluster will flash in
the direction of the turn or
lane change.
Raise or lower the lever until the arrow starts to flash to
signal a lane change. Hold it there until the lane change
is complete. The lever returns when it's released.
If the turn signal is left on, a warning chime will sound
and the Driver Information Center (DIC) will display
TURN SIGNAL ON after driving about a mile to
remind you to turn it off.
Arrows that flash rapidly when signaling for a turn or
lane change may be caused by a burned out signal bulb.
Other drivers won't see the turn signal.
Replace burned
-out bulbs to help avoid possible
accidents. Check the fuse (see ªFuses and Circuit
Breakersº in the Index) and for burned
-out bulbs if the
arrow fails to work when signaling a turn.
2-44
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer
Push forward to change the headlamps from low beam
to high. Pull the lever back and then release it to change
from high beam to low.
This light on the instrument
panel cluster will be on,
indicating high
-beam usage.
Flash-To-Pass
This feature lets you use the high-beam headlamps to
signal the driver in front of you that you want to pass.
Pull and hold the turn signal lever toward you to use.
When you do, the following will occur:
If the headlamps are either off or in the Daytime
Running Lamps (DRL) mode, the high
-beam
headlamps will turn on. They'll stay on as long as
you hold the lever there. Release the lever to turn
them off.
If the headlamps are on high beam, they will switch
to low beam. To return to high beam, push the lever
away from you.
Windshield Wipers
WIPER: Turn the band on the turn signal lever to
control the wipers.
MIST: Turn the band toward you to MIST and then
release it for a single wiping cycle. For more cycles,
hold the band on MIST longer.
LO or HI: Turn the band away from you to either
LO (low speed) or to HI (high speed), depending on
the wiper speed you want.
DELAY: Turn the band to one of the DELAY positions
to set the wiper speed for a long or a short delay
between wipes. The closer you move it to LO, the
shorter the delay.
OFF: Turn the band to OFF to turn off the wipers.
2-47
Cruise Control
The buttons to operate cruise control are located on the
steering wheel.
With cruise control, you can maintain a speed of
approximately 25 mph (40 km/h) or more without
keeping your foot on the accelerator. This is helpful on
long trips. Cruise control does not work at speeds below
about 25 mph (40 km/h). When cruise control is on, you
will see a CRUISE light on the instrument panel cluster.
When you apply your brakes, the cruise control
shuts off.
CAUTION:
Cruise control can be dangerous where you
can't drive safely at a steady speed. So,
don't use your cruise control on winding
roads or in heavy traffic.
Cruise control can be dangerous on
slippery roads. On such roads, fast changes
in tire traction can cause needless wheel
spinning, and you could lose control. Don't
use cruise control on slippery roads.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the traction
control system begins to limit wheel spin, the cruise
control will automatically disengage. See ªTraction
Control Systemº in the Index. When road conditions
allow you to safely use it again, you may turn the cruise
control back on.
2-48
Setting Cruise Control
CAUTION:
If you leave your cruise control switch on when
you're not using cruise, you might hit a button
and go into cruise when you don't want to. You
could be startled and even lose control. Keep the
cruise control switch off until you want to use
cruise control.
1. Press the CRUISE ON/OFF button, located on the
bottom left of the steering wheel, to turn cruise
control on. An indicator light will come on to show
that the cruise control is on.
2. Get up to the speed you want.
3. Press the SET/CST (coast) button located on the
bottom right of the steering wheel. The CRUISE
light will display on the instrument panel cluster.
4. Remove your foot from the accelerator pedal.Resuming a Set Speed
Suppose you set your cruise control at a desired speed
and then you apply the brake. This shuts off the cruise
control. But you don't need to reset it.
Once the vehicle is traveling approximately 25 mph
(40 km/h) or more, you can press the RES/ACC
(resume/accelerate) button to return to your desired
preset speed. The CRUISE light will be displayed again.
The vehicle will return to and stay at your preset speed.
If you press and hold the RES/ACC button, the vehicle
speed will increase until you release the button or apply
the brake. Unless you want to go faster, do not press and
hold the RES/ACC button.
2-53
Fog Lamps (If Equipped)
Use the fog lamps for better vision in foggy or
misty conditions.
The fog lamp button is
located to the left of the
steering wheel on the
instrument panel.
When you press the fog lamp button, a fog lamp symbol
in the button and the fog lamp light on the instrument
panel cluster will come on to indicate that the fog lamps
and the parking lamps are on.Press the button again to turn them off.
If you turn on the high
-beam headlamps, the fog
lamps will turn off. They'll turn back on again when
you switch to low
-beam headlamps.
When the Twilight Sentinel
is on and the fog lamps are
turned on, the fog lamps, headlamps and parking lamps
will remain on.
The ignition must be on for the fog lamps to operate.
Cornering Lamps
The cornering lamps come on when the headlamps
or parking lamps are on and you signal a turn with
the multifunction lever. They provide more light
for cornering.